Iowa Cubs Wrap: April 6

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs served up the Buffalo Bison (Blue Jays) with celery and blue cheese dressing, 8-4. (I’ve been waiting to use that one.)

The I-Cubs jumped on the Bison for a run in the first inning and never trailed. Shortstop Dixon Machado led off the game with a walk, stole second base, went to third on a passed ball and after Brennen Davis walked, Machado scored on a double play grounder by P.J. Higgins.

Iowa scored two more runs in the second inning when catcher Tyler Payne and second baseman Trent Giambrone hit back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning. Giambrone doubled home Payne and then Giambrone scored two batters later on an infield single by Machado.

Meanwhile, Conner Menez got the start for Iowa. He was the victim of bad defense in the second inning, as Buffalo got a run on three infield throwing errors—two by third baseman Levi Jordan and one by Giambrone. Menez then gave up singles (and another run) to the first two batters of the third inning and exited for reliever Matt Dermody.

The final line on Menez was 2+ innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits. Menez walked two and struck out two batters.

The Des Moines-area native and former Hawkeyes pitcher Dermody made his Iowa Cubs debut tonight and got the win with a stellar relief outing. Dermody pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, both singles. Dermody walked one, struck out one and hit one batter.

The Bison would score two runs in the bottom of the ninth off of reliever James Bourque. Bourque had to be relieved with two on and two out in the inning by Aneuris Rosario, Rosario struck out the only batter he faced for the save.

Jordan redeemed himself from those errors later in the game when he hit Iowa’s first home run of the year. It was an opposite field two-run home run in the seventh inning. Jordan was 1 for 5 with two runs scored and the two RBI. He also had a double in the third inning taken away when the official scorer changed a ruling from an RBI double to an error on the Bisons’ right fielder.

Here’s Jordan’s homer

Machado was 2 for 3 with three walks and two stolen bases. He scored twice and had the one RBI.

Giambrone went 2 for 4 with the double and a walk. He scored three times and had the one run batted in. He also stole a base

DH Robel Garcia doubled in his first at-bat in the first inning, his third straight at-bat with a double. He finished the game 2 for 5.

I’m not going to turn this space into a daily Brennen Davis watch, but since it’s early in the season, I’ll tell you Davis was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and two walks.